Democrat Josh Shapiro received a record three million votes on his way to winning this year's race for Pennsylvania governor. 

And it wasn't just that he got a lot of votes. The attorney general also won by a margin not often seen in an open race — trouncing GOP candidate Doug Mastriano by nearly 15 points, according to unofficial results, and driving down margins in counties some Democrats had written off years ago. 

Now the political world is looking for lessons in his successful bid.

Read Spotlight PA's full report: Inside Democrat Josh Shapiro’s successful campaign to become Pennsylvania’s next governor.

THE CONTEXT: Analysts, activists, campaign operatives, supporters, and detractors all tend to agree that a few key things sealed the deal for Shapiro: among them a politically extreme, cash-poor opponent.

But there was also strong outreach to rural areas Democrats sometimes neglect, and a pragmatic — and at times, flexible — policy message that appealed to urban, suburban, and rural voters too. 

Still, some observers are finding lessons in areas where Shapiro’s results were weaker, including the relatively low turnout seen in heavily Black and Hispanic precincts in Philadelphia and smaller cities where lots of Black and Latino people live, such as Allentown, Hazleton, and Reading. 

While Shapiro achieved better margins than Democratic U.S. Sen.-elect John Fetterman across most of the state, Fetterman closed the gap in poor, heavily Black and Latino urban neighborhoods, leading some to wonder if his platform — criminal justice reform, legalization of marijuana, clemency — could help Democrats get out vital votes in the future.

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OPEN QUESTION: State Rep. Carrie Lewis DelRosso (R., Allegheny) lost her race for lieutenant governor. Asked if she’ll seek her party’s nod for the special election to fill late state Rep. Tony DeLuca's open seat, one considered safely Democratic, DelRosso told TribLIVE she’s weighing her options.

NOT RUNNING: Mik Pappas, a Pittsburgh magisterial district judge who rode a progressive wave and criminal justice reform platform into office, and who has been criticized by local law enforcement in the years since, says he won't be seeking reelection in May, via WESA's Chris Potter.

CEMETERY TRAIL: The Pittsburgh Union Progress made the treacherous hike up an overgrown hillside miles north of downtown Pittsburgh where "the forgotten stones and stories of African American veterans" live.

SHRUB POLICE: The shrub known as burning bush may be beautiful in autumn, but as of January it's banned across Pennsylvania, the latest addition to the state's growing list of invasive and prohibited plants.

'FIRST LIGHT': Pittsburgh author Virginia Montanez fulfilled a dream last week at the Artemis rocket launch in Florida. Here's how it changed her.